AICP Commission
About the Commission of AICP
The Commission of AICP determines all matters of qualification, experience, and certification for professional planners and for membership in the American Institute of Certified Planners, including professional practice standards, expectations around professional ethics, and educational requirements for certification.
Commissioners provide oversight for specific AICP programs including certification application, exam maintenance and administration; certification maintenance; the AICP Code of Ethics; and Fellows of AICP.
Learn more about the AICP Commission Service
The AICP Commissioners:
Certification Process and Exam Maintenance
- Review and update the certification exam routinely
- Provide AICP Diversity Scholarships
- Oversee recruitment, admission, and retention of AICP members
- Supported by AICP Exam and National Membership Standards Committees
- Provide professional development for planners
- Set requirements for CM providers
- Review CM guidelines and targeted topics
- Define the aspirational principles for all those who participate in the planning process
- Define the rules of practice and behavior to which all members of AICP are held accountable
- Define the procedures for enforcement of these rules
- Informs the public of the principles to which certified planners are committed
- Supported by the AICP Ethics Committee
- Set Fellows nomination guidelines
- Examine FAICP Pipeline
- Encourage Fellows to participate in initiatives to serve the planning community
- Supported by the AICP College of Fellows Committee
Term: 4 Years
Eligibility: AICP Member for at least 3 years (previous volunteer experience preferred but not required)
Time Commitment:
All-day meetings: 6 days/year, travel 3 times/year
Virtual meetings: 8 hours/year
Each AICP Commissioner serves on a committee, refer to committee time commitments for details.
2024 AICP Commission
Commission Members
President
Karen Wolf, FAICP
Karen Wolf has dedicated her career to public stewardship and advancing the benefits of planning. She recently retired from King County, Washington, where she served as a trusted advisor to elected leaders for more than 30 years. She has demonstrated her commitment to planning through mentoring, volunteering, and teaching new planners and graduate students. Within APA, she has served in several leadership roles, including the AICP Ethics and Exam Committee, APA Washington Chapter, and CM Equity Credit Task Force. Additionally, Wolf is an affiliate instructor at the University of Washington and serves on the UW Professional Council for Urban Design and Planning. She also served as the chair of the Advisory Committee for Children's Hospital of Seattle providing input on the development of the hospital campus. Wolf has a master's degree in urban planning and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Washington.
President Elect
Erin N. Perdu, AICP
Erin Perdu is the planning group leader for the Midwest region at Stantec; she lives and works in downtown Minneapolis. She has been a practicing planner for over 25 years, working primarily in the upper Midwest and Texas. Her career spans both the public and private sectors, including a 12-year stint at the helm of the consulting firm she founded, ENP & Associates. Perdu's passions include long-range planning, zoning reform, and bringing national best practices to communities of all sizes. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Stanford University (Earth Systems) and Master of Science (Natural Resources) and Master of Urban Planning degrees from the University of Michigan.
Secretary-Treasurer, Commissioner Region I
Sarah H. Marchant, AICP
Sarah joined the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund as chief of staff in 2021. Previously, she was the City of Nashua's director of community development. She is the professional development officer of the Northern New England Chapter, after serving as chapter president. Sarah has served on the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority Board of Directors since her appointment in 2019. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut.
Commissioner Region II
Patrice Ruffin Dowdell, Esq., AICP
Patrice currently serves as assistant city manager with the City of Brookhaven, Georgia. In this role, she is primarily responsible for promoting accountability, strategic execution of services, and effective and efficient municipal operations. She has over 20 years of experience working with local communities and clients in the southeast. In 2020, she was recognized by Engineering Georgia magazine as one of the Top 100 Influential Women in Georgia Engineering as a professional dedicated to sustained improvements to the state in the areas of planning, design, construction, governance, education, and public service. She is also the recipient of the 2016 Terry F. Holzheimer, FAICP, Leadership Award, which recognized her exemplary service to divisions, division initiatives, and APA. Patrice holds a juris doctor degree from Georgia State University College of Law as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in urban and regional planning from Alabama A&M University.
Commissioner Region III
Staron Faucher, AICP
Staron Faucher, AICP is an Assistant Vice-President and Senior Lead Mobility Planner at WSP in Dallas, Texas, specializing in thoroughfare planning, bike and pedestrian studies, corridor redevelopment, and land use analyses - but he is most passionate about advocacy planning and equity. He received his Master in Regional and City Planning from the University of Oklahoma, and Master of Environmental Studies from Baylor University. Staron is the Co-Chair of the American Planning Association's AICP Ethics Committee, the AICP Region III Commissioner, and the Past Director for the North-Central Section of the Texas APA Chapter. He was also the author of the APA Viewpoint Article “Doing Good vs Doing Well,” which discusses the balance of fiscal and social responsibility planners have to consider while serving their communities.
Commissioner Region IV
Suzanne Schulz, FAICP
Suzanne is the urban planning practice leader with Progressive AE. The practice focuses on innovative planning and project implementation in communities and with organizations, including the Michigan APA Chapter’s award-winning Zoning Reform Toolkit: 15 Tools to Expand Housing Choice and Supply (June 2022). Suzanne is the former planning director and managing director of design and development for the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was the project manager for Grand Rapids' 2002 Master Plan, eliminated SF zone districts in 2007, led significant corridor plans, and initiated and managed the Green Grand Rapids and Vital Streets plan processes. Suzanne served on Michigan's Complete Streets Advisory Council, Michigan's Medical Marijuana Advisory Panel, Fair Housing Center of West Michigan Board of Directors, and Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Redevelopment Ready Communities Advisory Council. She currently serves on the board of directors of Broadway Grand Rapids, APA’s Legislative and Policy Committee, and was recently appointed to Michigan’s State Transportation Commission by Governor Whitmer.
Commissioner Region V
Jae Hill, AICP
Jeffrey "Jae" Hill has 17 years of multidisciplinary experience across the western U.S. Currently he is a principal planner at King County, Washington. He has previously served in director roles in California, Idaho, and Alaska. A fierce advocate for climate resilience, Jae gave a TED Talk on the future of skiing and ski towns. Jae has a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from Cal Poly Pomona, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nevada-Reno, and a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of Utah. He also serves as the chair of the University of Washington Professionals Council and has previously served on the boards of the APA Alaska and Idaho chapters. He is a Certified Floodplain Manager.
Commissioner Region VI
Miroo Desai, AICP
Miroo has over 20 years of experience as a professional planner in three municipalities in California specializing in the analysis, processing, and approval of major development projects including doing California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) related work. For nearly half this time she has been involved in a variety of APA-related leadership roles at both the section and the chapter level. At the APA California Chapter, she spearheaded the creation of a new position of vice president of diversity and equityMiroo’s interest in promoting diversity and equity in our profession is coupled with her interest in creating equitable and supportive work environments. She has striven to do both through her work on the board of APA California and by serving as the Union Emeryville Chapter President (SEIU Local 1021).
Liaisons
Chapter Presidents Council
PeggySue Imihy Bean, AICP
PeggySue Imihy, AICP is the Special Projects and Initiatives Manager for the City of Hopkins and is the current President of APA Minnesota. PeggySue served on the APA MN board for 6 years in a variety of positions and is passionate about bringing diverse voices and perspectives into the planning profession. PeggySue has a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota.
Divisions Council
Deborah Myerson, AICP
Deborah is the principal/founder of Myerson Consulting, LLC, and serves as Secretary/Treasurer for the APA Divisions Council Executive Committee. Myerson has more than 25 years of experience specializing in land use policy, housing, and community development. She has been active in leadership with the APA Private Practice Division and APA Indiana Chapter. Myerson has a Bachelor of Arts in comparative literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University.
Student Representative Council
Johnathan Gates
Johnathan is passionate about planning and the role the profession plays in our communities, specifically transportation, land, design, and urban policy. He was born and raised in Kansas and currently lives in Arizona where he serves as the City of Phoenix Management Fellow. Johnathan is a recent graduate from Arizona State University, where he received his Master of Urban and Environmental Planning degree. In his free time, Johnathan enjoys hiking, bike riding, and attending local food and music festivals.